This Day In History: December 22, 1849 Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer, journalist, and philosopher. He worked within, and was obviously influenced by, the constraints of 19th century Russia. Some of his major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). In 1847, Dostoyevsky joined the Petrashevsky Circle, a group […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Anonymous Publishing of “The Night Before Christmas,” and Other Interesting Christmas Staple Origins On December 23, 1823, the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, better known today as The Night Before Christmas was first published. The poem first appeared in […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn what exact Tiny Tim was sick from that 19th century medical science could cure simply by someone throwing some money at the problem. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
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Quick Fact 851: On March 13, 1962, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Lyman Lemnitzer, submitted a proposal to the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, developed by the Joint Chiefs and the Department of Defense outlining plans to, among other things, commit various acts of terrorism on U.S. soil and then frame the Cubans for it […]
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For the quick answer to your question: no and sometimes. While not all molds are bad for you to eat, many are, and unless you want to whip out a microscope and meticulously identify the mold present on your food (note: there are 300,000 known types and counting), as a general rule it’s better to avoid moldy foods. Not all […]
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This Day In History: December 19, 1732 Ben Franklin was, by all accounts, a busy guy. Throughout his life, he made a name for himself as a printer, postmaster, author, scientist, satirist, inventor, diplomat and statesman. Aside from his indisputable political influence on the fledgling United States, his most memorable contribution to American culture was Poor Richard’s Almanack. Not only […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the origin of the Christmas staple, “Silver Bells,” and how the duo who wrote it tried everything they could to get out of having to compose it in the first place. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going […]
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On December 22, 1992, former school teacher Martin Almada discovered thousands of documents that detailed the systematic repression of Paraguayans under the government of dictator General Alfredo Stroessner. Almada stumbled upon what has come to be known as Paraguay’s Archives of Terror in the basement of a police station in the capital city of Asuncion while working with a judge, […]
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An average American child eats about 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches prior to graduating from high school. That is about a sandwich every four or five days. Americans eat a lot of peanut butter. Besides it being popular and delicious, peanut butter also has had a tremendous impact on how foods are made and labeled today. Thanks to the […]
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This Day In History: December 18, 1966 “Christmas day will always be, just so long as we have we.” When “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” first aired on December 18, 1966, the most optimistic projection for the cartoon was a ten-year run. Almost half a century later, it has exceeded all expectations, becoming a cherished Christmas classic eagerly awaited by […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about how the practice of mixing a cow’s udder excretions with the product that came out of a chicken’s cloaca ultimately led to Eggnog. You’re also going to learn why the drink is called that and what the traditional ingredients to the drink are. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe […]
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When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the Moon all those years ago during the Apollo 11 mission, literally everything they did became a record because everything they did that day was the first time in human history someone had done that thing on the Moon, which it turns out wasn’t made of cheese after all. While Armstrong’s first words […]
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This is a video from the very talented Brady Haran who, among other channels, produces phenomenal videos such as this one over at Numberphile, which you can subscribe to here. You can also join us in supporting Numberphile on Patreon here. If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (iTunes, Spotify, Google […]
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Quick Fact 841: If you’ve ever felt like your friends are more popular, happier, and wealthier than you… well, on average, you’re probably right. This all comes down to something known as the Generalized Friendship Paradox. The Friendship Paradox was first proposed in 1991 by sociologist Scott L. Feld, who demonstrated that your friends, on average, will have more friends […]
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This Day In History: December 17, 1969 On December 17, 1969, the oddly engaging ukulele strumming pop sensation Tiny Tim, most famous for the song “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”, married his girlfriend, Miss Vicki, on the Tonight Show while 45 million people watched at home. The wedding attracted the most viewers in the show’s history up to that time. Tim […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about the surprisingly young age Brenda Lee was when she recorded one of the most famous Christmas songs of all time… and how it completely flopped initially. You’re also going to learn a lot of other interesting facts about “Little Miss Dynamite,” Brenda Lee. [TRANSCRIPT] As mentioned in the episode, you can see […]
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Mark. K. asks: Why does peanut butter stick to the top of my mouth? Arachibutyrophobia is a proposed humorous name for the fear of peanut butter getting stuck to the top of your mouth, coined by Charles M. Schulz in a 1982 edition of his famed Peanuts comic strip. But why does peanut butter have such a tendency to get […]
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This Day In History: December 16, 1977 “Would ya just watch the hair? Ya know, I work on my hair a long time and you hit it. He hits my hair.” – Tony Manero At first, all you see are highly-shined shoes and swishing black flared pants strutting down a New York City street in perfect rhythm to the Bee […]
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